Chronicles of the Gate Rune
by ryggim
Summary: The setting is seven years after the Falena Civil War. The Queendom is once again threatened in another war with unknown enemies or they maybe old enemies wanting revenge. The fate of Falena is entrusted in the hands of a wandering knight.
1. Prologue

_**Chronicles of the Gate Rune Prologue:**_

_**Children of the Gate Rune**_

A long time ago, the Gate Rune; one of the 27 true runes spilt into two. First the Front Gate Rune and second the Back Gate Rune. The Front Gate had the power to summon beings from another world and transport them to any location it desires. While the only way to send them back; is by the power of the Back Gate rune.

Out of whim the Front Gate demonstrates its power, summoning existences one after another. First it summons a serpent like creature with azure scales and emerald eyes. Its roar moves oceans and its silver wings created hurricanes. The next one is a fanged beast with white fur that shined different colors as light passed through. It stood proudly on four legs while its mane moved ever so gracefully as the wind blew. On its front legs were gold bracelets and with each stomp it shook the earth. Lastly a winged bird with fiery feathers, with the beat from its four wings it scorched the air with golden fire. Unleashing such beasts in the world created an unbalance in nature. Their powers too great for the world to withstand they ripped the world to the extent that it almost crumbled.

Realizing its mistake the Front Gate Rune tries to bring the beasts back to where they came from but it failed for it only has the power to summon them not return them. With no other choice the Front Gate Rune contains the three beasts in runes it created from its own being. The beasts were contained but the world was still not able to withstand their power. The Back Gate Rune witnessed the events and created a rune that can quell the raging powers. From its own existence it created a Rune that feeds from the powers of the three runes the Front Gate has created. With this the warring powers were calmed.

The Children of the Gate Runes, the four runes created by both Gate Runes, First the Azure Dragon Rune it contains the Azure beast with Silver Wings. The power to move oceans and freeze air with it's deafening roar. The second rune, the Scarlet Wing Rune contains the four winged bird of fire. With every flap of its wings creates flames that can melt rocks. Third, the Silver Fang Rune, it contains the Silver beast with its every stomp shakes the very earth. Lastly the only rune created by the Back Gate Rune in order to quell the powers of the later three, the Nether Gate Rune. It returns everything back to nothing, its power equivalent to the power of the three runes. Destructive these four runes are and were kept hidden from the world.

With this the wheels of Fate begin to turn, a destiny waiting to unfold revolving around these runes and the master of Time; a destiny that can lead to new life or destruction. Bear witness now to the unfolding destiny of the Children of the Gate Rune.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chronicles of the Gate Rune**_

_Discalimer: _

_This a work fiction and has no real connection with the Suikoden Title. I do not own the Suikoden brand and I don't claim that I do. I just do this fan fiction as a past time. With that said on with the fic. _

_**Chapter One:**__ "Meeting"_

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Seven years after the civil war in Falena the Queendom has enjoyed its following years in peace. Under the rule of Queen Lymsleila the common people were given more priority over the nobles; one of which abolishing the Senate and replacing it with a parliament with representatives from all the villages and cities in the Queendom. With the royal prince following Georg Prime in his travels along with Lyon the prince's bodyguard; and the fact that the queen refuses to marry, the Queens Knights were without a commander. But after sometime Miakis, the queen's personal body guard reformed the Queens Knights and was made entirely of female knights with Miakis leading them. With this the people of Falena live their lives in peace. Unbeknownst to them this temporary peace was to be disrupted by an unknown force from the south, sparking war between two countries with someone manipulating behind the shadows. The wheels of Fate turn intertwining the destiny of one man with the destiny of an entire country, Falena. The Chronicles of the Gate Rune Begins.

Sol Falena ( Year 457 in the Solis Calendar 1 )

The majestic white castle stood silently overlooking the city below, the castle where the Sun Rune2, the symbol of the royal family is housed. Without the need for the Sun Rune, it is stored at the same tower where it was held before the previous queen bore it. Queen Lym's scowled as she remembered the events that took place seven years ago.

" It was because of this rune that the war started it was because of this that mom…." Queen Lym paused for a while as she reminisced.

"No, it's not the rune's fault…people wanted its power and it resulted to war, that's the reason why everything happened that day"

She looked up once more at the rune "That's why it should stay here locked up here so no one can use it ever again"

She crosses her arms and thought " It's about time Miakis got tired of looking for me, I should go take a look"

She silently opened the door, peeking at first to see if the coast is clear and finally going out. Stealthily she went down a few steps and scanned the area. She sees her bodyguard Miakis systematically checking every room to find her.

She jumps back hiding herself again. "Whew! That was close" Her bodyguard still searching as she said "Really now! Lym should really stop sneaking out every time there's a meeting with the parliament. She's really causing not only me but the parliament a lot of trouble. She should just grow up and learn to take responsibility."

Lym rolled her eyes at Miakis' remark. She returned her focus on Miakis as the knight added " Although I can't blame her since the meeting's pretty boring I could hardly stay awake myself while inside that room with no one else with but old people talking"

Lym can't help but giggle at the comment " She's absolutely right" Lym said out loud.

"Lym?" Miakis motioned for the stairs.

"Oh no! She's going to find me! I gotta hide" Lym frantically looked for a place to hide.

"Captain!" someone called out. Miakis stopped and turned at the woman who called her. "What is it Tsukari?" Miakis sighed with a little irritation in her tone. Tsukari is one of the Queens Knights3, she has long raven hair neatly cut which emphasized her porcelain skin. She has a stern expression on her face most of the time and carried a wooden stick behind her, fastened between the ribbon tied on her waist. Her sleeves flowed freely up to half length above her arms. A combination of red, black and gold decorated her clothes and armor. Tsukari without changing her expression said

"I'm sorry to bother you with your search for the queen but the parliament cannot wait any longer, if it is delayed any longer it will cause them conflicts with their schedule as there are other matters that need their attention with" Tsukari paused and waited for Miakis' answer.

"You already know what I will answer but you still…Urgh! It really irritates me you know!" Miakis said angrily.

"I ask for your forgiveness, but the matter with the parliament still needs to be resolved" Tsukari answered without a change in her tone.

"I know, I will represent the queen in the meeting for now. That Lym will have it really hard when I find her later" Both knights walk towards the room where the meeting is held.

Lym sighed as both women disappeared behind the door. She steps down and checks her surroundings making sure she is not seen.

"I'll just have to make sure that Miakis will not find me until she's calmed down or I'm in big trouble" She walks towards the exit and headed for the pier.

***********

At the Pier Lym sits down at her usual spot and overlooks the vast river. A smile appears on her lips as she calmly watches the Feitas River4 with boats slowly moving in and out of the city.

"I really love this city and the whole of Falena, I won't forgive anyone who tries to take this feeling of happiness from the people. I wasn't able to do so before but I will do something this time! It's just that I can't stand meetings with the Parliament! I can hardly stay awake" Lym slouched lower as she thought of this.

"I wonder if there are anyways to make the meetings more interesting"

While she thought of ways to keep herself from falling asleep while on meetings, a group of men secretly observed her while whispering to each other.

"She is here, the information we got was correct. Shall we make a move now?" One of the men whispered.

"Let's just wait a little longer for the signal to move in. We can't risk failing this mission" Another man answered.

There are five men hiding behind some boxes as they quietly observed the young queen. Moments later a carrier pigeon arrived with a piece of paper attached on it's foot. One of the men took and unfolded the paper. A smirk appeared on his face and shared the message with his companions.

"We are clear to move in; our escape route is a boat with red sails on a dock east of here. We are to up her to sleep then put her inside a crate in order to transport her without anyone noticing." The man instructs the other four men.

"Don't worry; no one should be around this dock since our client made sure to clear the dock of people. So we can make some noise if necessary" The leader added. "Now let's get moving"

The men walked towards the young queen. Lym took notice of them from a fair distance and was alerted when they came closer. She looked for a way to escape them and started to run towards the city. She tried to scream for help but was quickly caught and silenced. She struggled to get free but the man just over powered her greatly. She tried to scream again but is muffled by the cloth held against her mouth. One of the men took out some kind of powder from his pocket and is about to use it on Lym.

Lym closed her eyes as she shouts in her head _"Some one save me!" _repeatedly.

Unable to break free tears rolled down her yes as she blames herself for getting into that situation.

"_If only I didn't run away from Miakis earlier, if only Miakis was here these men won't be able to take me away. Miakis Miakis Miakis! Please save me Miakis!"_ She silently screamed inside her mind as the man was about to use the medicine on her a stone struck the man's arm causing the man to drop the medicine.

"Who the hell did that?" The men looked everywhere, their vision directed at a man on top of some crates squatting down holding a stone on his hand.

Lym silently looked at the man trying to say "Save me! Please!" with her eyes.

As if to answer her plea the man stood up and replied "I got it, so you can stop crying now" The man slowly moved towards the men still holding the stone in his hand. He had short silver hair that shined blue under the sun, azure irises that gleamed like sapphire. He had a smile on his face the entire time but his eyes clearly showed that he was enraged.

By looking at his clothes he's clearly a foreigner, a Blue and Silver coat that opened at his waist a black shirt inside tucked in under his creamy brown pants. He has a sword that hung from his waist the men took notice of it and were on alert as he motioned slowly towards them.

"I will tell you to let the lady go but it seems that you are the type that doesn't listen right?" He stops at a considerable distance and says "Let her go or else I'll be forced make you"

"What is he talking about? Is he planning on taking on five men all by himself?" Lym thought to herself as she can't believe on how one man can save her from her predicament.

"You must be crazy to think that you can take on all of us at once" The leader sneered and motioned the other four to surround the man. The other four do so while taking out short swords and pointed them at the man.

"Four men…but I can't risk the lady getting hurt…so" Blue light suddenly shined out of his right hand that blinded the men and Lym. After a moment Lym's eyes re adjusted and she was able to she again. She blinked a few times and can't believe what she saw. The Man with silver hair was suddenly surrounded by ice, which threw the four men backwards with the force.

"Rune Magic?" Lym thought to herself in awe. It's not that she hasn't seen this kind of magic before, Kyle did use a similar type of magic before but this man used it with such precision that the blast did not harm her even though she was pretty close to the blast area.

The Leader can't believe what happened and tried to use Lym as a shield. While he was focused on the man with silver hair, Lym saw it as a chance to break free. Lym bit the arm of the man holding her hostage. The man let out a cry of pain and the silver haired man threw the stone at his head further adding to his pain.

Lym quickly ran away from the leader and this gave the silver haired man the opportunity to close in on the leader and gave him a hard punch on the stomach and finishing it with a kick to the head knocking the leader down.

"That's what you get for trying to kidnap me you jerk!" Lym haughtily exclaimed as she looked down on the unconscious man.

"You're still energetic after that experience huh? Kids sure are amazing." Lym was insulted by this remark and fires off the silver haired man. "What kid? I'm no kid! I'm already eighteen years old!"

"Like I said you're still a kid" The silver haired man said jokingly.

"And I thought of showing my gratitude to you for saving me! You're just a jerk!" Lym steamed as she shouted.

"I don't need your gratitude anyway, just be careful next time" The silver haired man turned and waved goodbye

"Why you…! Argh! Wait! I'm still talking to you!" Lym followed after the man but stopped when she heard someone call out

"Your Highness!" Miakis was running towards them with a worried expression on her face. "I heard you shouting, is there something wrong? I had a hunch you were hanging out here so…I…" She stopped and saw the silver haired man with a sword hanging from his waist.

"What were you trying to do with her Highness? Prepare yourself!" Miakis dashes towards the man with daggers ready.

"Oh no! Miakis misunderstood! He's not the bad guy In fact he's the one who saved me!" Lym thought to herself and quickly tried to stop Miakis. But Miakis was quick and was already near the silver haired man.

_**To be continued… **_

Notes:

1 _Solis Calendar_ : It's the calendar used in the Suikoden world. All the Suikoden games use this system.

2 _Sun Rune_: The true rune featured in Suikoden V, it is the symbol of the ruling family Falena. It's the reason why the Queendom was established. The Queendom of Falena, legend has it, was founded after a woman descended onto the northern area of Lunas, bearing the Sun Rune, to become the first Queen. The Sun Rune became the national treasure of Falena, along with its 'helper' runes, those of Dawn and Twilight.

3 _Queens Knights_: They are a group of knights that were responsible for protecting the royal family. They are also the commanding officer for the military army in Falena. By tradition the husband of the queen is automatically the Commander, but since Lym is not married no one is available for the position. In time Miakis became the acting commander and later reformed the Queens Knights and became the captain. Of course that's only in this Fan Fic.

4 _Feitas River_: The main river in Falena, it is used as the main route for transport and trades with other countries in Falena.

_Thoughts: _ I hope the first chapter satisfied you readers, I would like to keep it short and to the point so it won't be boring. I had problems with my past works with them dragging along and ending up incoherent. Anyways I thought of the idea for this fic a long time ago and only had the time to do it now. I thought hard for the main plot and how to make it exciting to read. I consulted a friend for this and he helped me thought of most of the plot in the story. It's obviously a Suikoden V Fanfic, the setting seven years after the civil war. I looked it up in Suikosource to get the age and dates right. I do hope that you guys will continue to read my fic. Be sure to expect more exciting chapters to come.

_**RYGGIM**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chronicles of the Gate Rune**_

_Discalimer: _

_This is a work of fiction and has no real connection with the Suikoden Title. I do not own the Suikoden brand and I don't claim that I do. I just do this fan fiction as a past time. With that said on with the fic. _

"Text" normal conversation

"_Text"_ thoughts of character

_**Chapter Two:**__ "Mind and Sword"_

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Previously on Chronicles of the Gate Rune, Lymsleia the current queen of Falena; went to the pier trying to avoid Miakis, her body guard, when she was suddenly surrounded by unknown men and was attempted to be kidnapped. If not for a mysterious man with silver hair they would have succeeded. After Lym was saved, Miakis arrived at the scene. Analyzing the situation, Miakis thought that the silver haired man was trying to abduct Queen Lymsleia and immediately lunged at him. Lym tried to stop Miakis but she has already engaged him.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Miakis, drawing out her two blades quickly closed the distance between her and the silver haired man. She didn't hear Lym stopping her all that was in her mind was to punish the man she thought was trying to harm Lym.

"W-wait a minute! I'm not the bad guy here!" the man tried to explain while dodging Miakis' swift attacks.

"Yeah that's what they all say, but in the end they are all lies." The man dodged to the right, she quickly followed him and attacked again, Miakis unleashes a somersault which grazed the man slightly while momentarily losing his balance.

"_This guy is good, I haven't landed a clean shot at him from the beginning_" Miakis thought to herself as she tried to land another hit on the man but to no avail.

"If this continues, I might have to try and REALLY fight her" The man stepped back and tried to reason with her again. "Seriously now! I just saved that little girl's life and this is the thanks I get?"

"L-little girl?" Lym silently repeated to herself while slightly shaking with anger.

"I thought she was being taken away by slave traders because she blindly followed them after receiving candy or something" The man added, still dodging Miakis' attacks.

"……" Lym silently stood while her fists were shaking; suddenly she walked towards some crates with some fruits. She grabbed one and hurled it at the man smack center on his face. The impact made the man fall on his back. Miakis paused for a while and wondered who threw the fruit. Lym walked towards the fallen man and…

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE GIRL?" Lym started to stomp at the man's abdomen while she continued "FOR YOUR INFORMATION I DIDN'T _BLINDLY _FOLLOW THEM, THEY APPROACHED _**ME**_AND TRIED TO KIDNAP _**ME**_!" Lym stopped to catch her breath while the man lied on the ground unconscious. "And another thing I don't really like sweets" Lym puffed as she kicked him one last time.

"But isn't assorted colored bon bons your favorite snack?" Miakis suddenly jabbed at Lym, her previous ferocity gone and now clamed.

"GEH! MIAKIS!!!" Lym almost fell over at what her trusted knight have said. Now red with embarrassment she repeatedly beats her hands at Miakis. "You shouldn't ruin the mood while I'm trying to make a point!"

"Eh? Sorry, sorry I was just saying the truth you know" Miakis jokingly tried to defend herself from Lym's attacks.

"Haha, so we're all calm now?" The man sat up while rubbing his abdomen. The two women suddenly remembered what has previously happened.

"Oh yeah! Miakis he's not the bad guy here, in fact he's the one who saved me!" Lym hastily explained, Miakis just looked on with a confused look face, then first, turning to the man and examining him for a second and turning back at Lym again.

"So…this is what you do to the guy who saved you from being taken away? You ferociously stomp on him that he almost died. If the late queen and commander, your parents were to see this they would be REALLY disappointed in you" Miakis said while shaking her head.

"WHA- It's not my fault he mistaken me for a little kid!" Lym pouted.

"I wonder why is that" Miakis smiled while she stared at Lym.

"H-hey! What are you trying to imply?" Lym turns red again at what she just thought what the answer was.

"It's because you have the face of a little girl, but I should say that your che-"The man wasn't able to finish his sentence when another fruit flew at his direction hitting him smack right on the face again.

"SHUT UP! And don't you dare finish what you're about to say!!!" Lym shouted; now even redder than before.

"Oh you mean the fact that you have such bountiful bre-"Miakis stopped as she saw the killer rage evident in Lym's eyes

"M-I-A-K-I-S!!!!" Lym now purple with anger and slowly creeped over at Miakis. "Sorry! Sorry! Please don't eat me!" Miakis pleaded as she shrunk at a corner. "-Sigh- It's not like I'll really eat you" the young queen withdrew her advance and faced the man.

"It's a little late but, Thank you for saving me back there." Relief and gratitude were obvious on her face as she said those words.

The man stood up and brushed lightly his coat and said "Think nothing of it, I am a foreigner in this city and I should leave a good impression yes? It's just that next time I save you please don't let your bodyguard attack me with such killing intent" The man joked.

Lym tried to stop her laugh at the statement and answered "Rest assured that it won't happen again. And Miakis, please see to it that these men get what they deserve" Lym pointed at the five unconscious men that tried to kidnap her.

"At once your majesty. Before I ran here I alerted the castle guards and should be on their way here, they will take care of these men. I'd rather exact punishment right here and now if it were up to me" Miakis motioned for her twin blades at her waist.

"That would be acceptable but I'd say that it's better to get information from them before you end their life, like who ordered them to take the queen and how did they know that the queen frequently came to this side of the pier. It looks really fishy in my point of view and another thing…" The man pausing to think afterwards.

The man faces Lym and continues "It will not be a pleasant experience for the young queen to see you kill these men right here." The man places his hands inside his pants' pocket and waits for Miakis' reply.

"We will have them properly interrogated at the prison later. And like Lym, it's a little late but Thank you for protecting the queen, we are in your debt not just the queen and me but the people of Falena are in your debt."

"Might I ask the name of my savior so I can address you properly" Lym commandingly asked.

"I am Xreize Azureblade" Xreize bowed to show respect "And it was my pleasure to have been able to assist you, your highness."

"Xrieze..." Lym softly smiled as she spoke his name.

"Your highness?" Xreize looked on wondering if there was something wrong.

"Huh? Oh! It's nothing really! Please forget what happened" Lym frantically waved her hands in front of her.

"Captain Miakis!!" A soldier called out, a few other soldiers were with him as they jogged towards them. They gave their salute to the queen and then faced Miakis to continue "We are here as you requested what are your orders?" The solder in unison with the others stood at a ready in front of the queen and captain.

"At ease men, take those men to the prison and interrogate them when they wake up. We need to find out who is behind this atrocious act." Miakis was still giving orders when another soldier came running with an urgent message.

"Sauronix Castle is under attack!!! The enemy has already been able to breach the primary defense line and are now inside the city" The soldier immediately reported.

"WHAT?" Lym and Miakis were shocked by what they just heard

"How can a well fortified castle like Sauronix be invaded that quickly?" Miakis thought out loud as she tried to figure out how it happened.

Silently Xrieze listened in as the soldier continued his report. "Cavalry Captain Rahal is requesting immediate reinforcements; also Brigade Captain Roog has already headed out in the river with his unit in order to help repel the enemy."

"This looks bad, if the enemy is able to take Sauronix, we will loose an important stronghold including the Dragon cavalry." Miakis noted. She faces Lym and adds "I am the captain of the queen's knights but before that I am Queen Lymsleia's personal bodyguard I cannot leave her in this dire time."

"Miakis…it's okay, you should go and help Sauronix, and it is your home town so you have a duty to protect it when needed." Lym smiled at Miakis as she ordered the knight. "But!" Miakis tried to reason out but the queen stopped her and "It's okay, I'll be fine here besides Tsukari is here so I'm confident that I'll be safe." Lym assured Miakis.

"Might I say that this was all in the enemy's plans" Xreize started

"What do you mean?" Lym asked

"I mean, the attempted kidnapping must have been planned to go with the sudden assault on Sauronix, I assume that the enemy wanted the attack on Sauronix to be a decoy to divert your attention on the attack and give the ones who infiltrated the castle to kidnap the queen ample time to carry out their mission. Of course the soldiers and the Queens Knights will be busy repelling the attack while they try and kidnap the queen. But…" Xreize pauses

"The timing is completely off, the attack should have happened first before the kidnapping so why did it go wrong? A misinformation perhaps? If so, how did they know that the kidnapping failed? Knowing this have they decided to go on with the full assault on Sauronix instead?" Xreize took a few steps and stared into the horizon

"_For them to know the current situation…someone inside the city must be relaying information to them while spying on the queen but that is not important now"_

"If you would permit me to take part in the counter attack at Sauronix you majesty?" This statement shocked the queen and Miakis. "But you have done enough and you need not involve yourself in our problem since you are an outsider" Lym answered

"That may be so but I need to confirm something and in order to do that I need to go to Sauronix castle. You could say that it will be for my benefit to be able to participate in the counter offensive at Sauronix, Your Highness." Xreize explained. His reason seemed valid enough and with that Lym agreed to let Xreize participate.

"Okay then, Miakis along with Xreize will form a unit and help Sauronix Castle, use the river to go there faster, take the remaining Dragon Cavalry stationed in the city with you; you will need all the help you can get." Lym briskly ordered and dismissed them.

"At once, Your Majesty!!" After saluting the soldiers carry out their orders while Xreize follows Miakis to the dock where their boat is waiting. After all preparations were complete they set off for Sauronix.

***********************

At Sauronix, Rahal and the Dragon Cavalry are having a hard time fighting off the enemy.

"Where did the enemy come from? How did they easily breach our defenses?" Rahal tried to evaluate their current situation.

"They suddenly came out of nowhere and started attacking. We can't even use the dragon horses because of some sound that's been emitted that is driving the dragon horses crazy." A Soldier informs Rahal.

"Damn! Flail is also affected by that sound, at this rate we'll definitely lose! We need to hold out until reinforcements arrive!"

The wave of enemies continue to push the cavalry back into a corner, they just seem to be endless in number. Just as the cavalry was being decimated the advance reinforcements of Roog arrive, but just like the other dragon horses they were also driven mad and unable to fight. Roog met up with Rahal and asked the situation.

"How did the enemy breach our defenses this fast?" Roog asked Rahal

"We have no idea, they suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and we didn't see any boats or any of sorts they just like appeared out of thin air." Rahal explained

"The dragon horses are unable to fight, the enemy is using some weird sound that makes them go mad" Rahal added as they desperately tried to defend their castle.

"Miakis should be arriving soon; a messenger informed me that the queen gave the order to assist Sauronix." Roog shared the only good news at that time.

"That surely gave me the hope to last a while longer…but if things keep like this I'm afraid our men will not be able to fight off this invasion." Rahal sadly exclaimed.

"Rahal! Roog!" A familiar voice called out. Both men face's light up as they see Miakis run towards them from the dock. Xreize was shortly behind her.

"Miakis! You don't know how glad I am to see you!" Roog shouted his fighting spirit re energized.

"Miakis it's nice to see you with reinforcements" Rahal smiled with relief.

"Is it true that the enemy just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and attacked? Are you sure they didn't come in boats?" Xreize asked them quickly.

"Who the heck are you?" Roog seemed pissed at the sudden interrogation.

"His name is Xrieze; he volunteered to help us out." Miakis answered

"We're glad to have you Xreize; and yes the enemy suddenly appeared out of nowhere and we were completely caught off guard. And no matter how many we slay they just keep coming. Also the enemy is using a device that renders our dragon horses useless and we can't make a proper resistance against them we are in a difficult situation" Rahal answered.

"Was there a thick fog when the enemy attacked?" Xreize asked

"Huh? As a matter of fact there was a thick fog before all this happened…How did you…" Rahal seemingly wanted to know how Xreize knew about something like a fog when the enemy attacked

"I see…it's just like that time" Xreize stopped to think

"That time? You mean you encountered something like this before?" Miakis asked

"Something like that; anyway let me explain what we should do." Xreize gathers Miakis and the others with a few more soldiers.

"Most of these enemies are illusions made by a magician. No matter how many you slay he can just make more and tire your soldiers out. That's his main objective. While some real soldiers are mixed in and carry out the main invasion." Xreize explained briefly

"I'll be damned! All this time they're fakes?" Roog fumed

"First thing we need to do is get rid of the sound that immobilizes the dragon horses, if I'm correct there should be a device that emits the sound nearby. It's probably somewhere at the pier send a team to find it, after we neutralize the device we will be able to use the dragon horses again; then we could take out the magician next. Like the device he should be at a considerable range in order to keep the illusions up. I bet he's at some small boat hiding in the fog."

"Okay, you guys look for the device that's emitting this sound, like Xreize said, it's probably at the pier." Rahal instructed the soldiers.

"After we find and destroy the device how can we find the Magician that's making the illusions?" Miakis asked

"Yeah, it's not like we can just charge through this fog and find him by trial and error" Roog loudly said.

"Leave that to me" Xreize assured Roog

"Haha; that sounds like something you would do Roog" Miakis giggled while saying that to tease Roog.

"I-I won't do something so stupid!" Roog blushed.

"Haha look you're all red!" Miakis teased

"I'm glad that you're all so relaxed while we are in a losing battle but please try to stay focused." Rahal reprimanded the two.

"Sorry" They said in unison.

"Captain Rahal! We found and destroyed the device. It was at the pier as you have said" The soldier reported

"Alright! Now we have a fighting chance!" Roog clenched his fist "Lance! Are you okay now?" "ROOOOOOOOO!" The dragon horse bellowed as a response Roog rode off and engaged the enemies; he was waiting for this the whole time.

"There he goes again….Okay, now what about this fog?" Rahal turned to Xreize

"Right, it's really not difficult…all we need to do is make a whirlpool to suck in all this fog" Xreize grinned as he said this

"Whirlpool? How will we do that?" Miakis scratched her head at the statement

"Leave that to me" Xreize stood facing the river and raised his right hand a Water rune glowed brightly and slowly the water at the river began to move, then it's speed increased by the second and finally a whirlpool appeared and sucked in all the fog. In no time the fog cleared and a small boat the cliffs was in their sight. On it was the magician responsible for the illusions.

"There he is!" Miakis pointed out the man on the boat

"Roog! Now we got him! Let's stop his magic once and for all." Rahal mounted on Flail streamed through the water at great speed towards the magician. With two Dagon Knights speeding towards him the magician only waited in despair before the knights knock him off the boat and stops his illusion magic.

The illusions vanish and the real enemies only remain, with the Dragon horses back in commission, it was at no time before the cavalry routes all the enemies. With the day saved and all those at Sauronix exhausted, they enjoy their well deserved rest.

Miakis searches through the pier and finally finds Xreize looking at the sunset. She approached him quietly and stood next to him. "You know, you didn't just save Lym but also helped in saving Sauronix castle. You have my thanks Xreize" Miakis softly smiled as she thanked Xreize.

"No thanks necessary, the people of Falena were very hospitable, this was something I could do to repay them." Xreize slightly adjusted his sitting position and looked at Miakis. "You could always just give me your vital statistics as a token of your gratitude" Xreize said with a naughty grin on his face

"Unfortunately that information is classified and only the queen and myself are allowed to know" Miakis waved her finger while saying this.

"Then Lym's measurements then" Xreize tried to bargain with her

"I will be able to charge you with treason then" Miakis smiled but it's clearly she was angry

"Maybe the queen would be easier to talk to about this stuff…" Xreize rubbed his chin but then Miakis with blades in both hand advanced towards Xreize. "Holy—This is bad" Xreize started to run but Miakis shortly followed him.

************************

The good news had reached the Palace by this time and Lymsleia was able to let out a sigh of relief. Hearing that Xreize played a major role in the counter attack made Lym smile as she pondered in her thoughts. Tsukari, in Miakis' absence stayed and guarded the queen as the other Queens Knights were out on individual missions. The queen waits anxiously for Miakis and Xreize's return.

"I'm glad everything worked out." Lym haughtily remarked

"It is good that no one was badly injured." Tsukari with a modest smile answered.

"Xreize Azureblade…He's not that bad really…" Lym said softly

"Did you say something Your Highness?" Tsukari asked while slightly tilting her head

"No, nothing really" Lym smiled as she replied

Unknown to all of them this was only the beginning of the trials they will have to overcome. A much more dangerous enemy waits in the shadows as Betrayal and Vengeance continue to brew conflicts that will lead to more bloodshed and war.

_**To Be Continued**_

_Notes:_

_Rahal- _Rahal is a highly-skilled Dragon Cavalry soldier and Craig Laden considered Rahal his best advisor. And so, following the war, Rahal was appointed Commander of the Feitas Dragon Cavalry. During his tenure, Rahal worked to reform the cavalry. Among other moves, he opened the ranks to women.

_Roog - _Roog was a highly-rated Feitas Dragon Cavalry soldier and the head of the Assault Squad, the Dragon Cavalry's vanguard. Along with his dragon horse partner, Lance. Following the war, Roog became Commander of the newly-formed Sun Palace Dragon Brigade which was charged with the defense of Falena along with the Queen's Knights.

_Dragon Horses_ - Dragon Horses are bipedal lizards with a passing resemblance to actual dragons. Dragon Horses are a staple of the Dragon Cavalry of Sauronix, whose knights are the only known group to use Dragon Horses as mounts. The versatility of these creatures make their use very diverse. Since the Dragon Horses are indigenous to the rivers of Falena, they can fight on the water just as easily as they can on land.

_Sauronix Castle - _The home of the Dragon Cavalry, Sauronix is the last large city in Falena before one reaches Nagarea. As such, Sauronix is built with defense in mind; the entire town is walled in, and defended by the Dragon Cavalry, who are equally able to defend on water and on land. Its dragon-horses draw great appeal, and the dragon riders are said to have many fans among the town populace.

Sauronix previously had great political importance in Falena due to its place as the first defense against Nagarea; however, since the Great Earthquake, this threat has been reduced. However, Sauronix still retains its importance the home of the Dragon Cavalry.

_Water Rune - _The Water Rune is descended from the True Water Rune and can be found quite easily in the wilderness or in rune shops. It utilizes one of the Five Powers of the World, to summon water to heal wounds, support allies, and attack. It is much more adept at healing and supporting allies than inflicting damage on enemies, however. It is naturally weakened by the Lightning Rune, but is more potent against the Fire Rune. A higher order of the Water Rune is the Flowing Rune.

_Thoughts:_

Second chapter finished! Thanks to the guys that read my fic.

So I hope you guys enjoyed the second chapter, it's longer than the first with all that's happened so see you all in chapter three.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chronicles of the Gate Rune**_

_Discalimer: _

_This is a work of fiction and has no real connection with the Suikoden Title. I do not own the Suikoden brand and I don't claim that I do. I just do this fan fiction as a past time. With that said on with the fic. _

"Text" normal conversation

"_Text"_ thoughts of character

_**Chapter Three:**__ "Gathered once more" _

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sauronix Castle was attacked after the failed attempt to kidnap the current queen of Falena, Lymsleia. Xreize, a swordsman who saved the queen from being kidnapped, offered his help with the siege at Sauronix. Arriving there they were able to fend off the attacker with him being familiar with the tactics the enemy used. The next day, he and the Queens Knights captain, Miakis returned to Sol Falena to report what they have encountered.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Arriving at the castle the team of Miakis and the others were greeted with Toma, a Queens Knights apprentice, stopping for a while to catch his breath for he ran quite a long distance from the Knights quarters up to the main hall.

Standing straight he said "I hurried here as fast as I could when I heard Captain Miakis has returned from Sauronix"

"I was there too you know!" Roog bellowed when he realized Toma ignored him.

"Yeah I knew you were there too, but I would have been a lot useful if I were there" Toma mused while he kept a mischievous grin on his face.

Roog fumed at the remark and trapped Toma in a headlock while saying"You got a lot of nerve to say that to your senior officer, you getting cocky just because you won the sparring the other day huh?"

"W-well I also won the two sparring sessions before that just to remind you." Toma slithered out of the head lock and taunted Roog as he ran avoiding Roog's tackle.

"Now now, I know you two are best buddies but we still need to report to the Queen." Miakis reminded them.

"WE ARE NOT BUDDIES!" Both Roog and Toma refuted.

"By the way, who's this guy?" Toma asked as he pointed at Xreize.

"I'm Xreize, Miakis' future husba—"Xreize was unable to finish when Miakis gave him a hard back fist.

"Oh, he's just some idiot swordsman who happened to help in the Sauronix assault. Right?" Miakis held Xreize up with a dark expression on her face.

"Miakis can be scary sometimes" Toma exclaimed. "Not sometimes ALL the time" Roog added.

"Did you boys say something?" Miakis darkly stared at the two. Seeing this Toma and Roog shook their head terrified at the thought if they go against Miakis now.

"Well then, let's go report to the queen" The Captain motioned them to head for the audience room.

Lym is restlessly sitting on her throne, as the group made their way in, she sat up straight as to look queenly as much as possible.

Miakis kneeled down in front of Lym with the others doing the same.

"We have successfully defended Sauronix Castle from the invaders your majesty." Miakis started, she raised her head as she continued "We had some difficulty at first but thanks to Xreize quick thinking and familiarity with the enemy we were victorious in the end. Only a few soldiers were badly injured and the citizens were all safe if were came a little later it would have been disastrous" with that Miakis ended her report.

"Rise my brave knights and honored guest." Lym stood up with a smile on her face as she looked on the returning knights.

"I'm glad that no one was badly injured, and I would like to thank you Xreize, again for saving me and helping Sauronix in their time of need."

"Anyone would have done as I did, if they were in my shoes, your highness." Xreize bowed when he answered.

"With the formalities out of the way, we can start talking about what is important." Lym put her hands together and walked down the throne.

"Miakis, I'm glad your hometown was saved without any difficulties." Lym hugged the knight gently with great concern.

"If Xreize wasn't there we would have lost Sauronix by now. By the way, how did you know what the enemy was up to Xreize?" The Knight looked at Xreize.

"Well, when I was at the northern continent we came across a group who used similar tactics. Actually our lead strategist was the one who noticed it; I remembered what he instructed back then and used the same tactic at Sauronix." Xreize explained

"Northern Continent?" Lym tilted her head

"Yeah, I came from Vinay del Zexay, the capital of Xezen. It's a country up north." Xreize continued

"Oh, so that's why you have funny clothes on" Toma pointed out

"Funny?" Xreize kept a calm face but his eyebrow was twitching.

"Xezen is famous for its knights and silver armor we occasionally get products from them in trades." Explained the knight captain

"And might I ask why you from the Xezen come all the way out here? If you're from Xezen then you must be a knight right? You do carry a sword with you" The queen pointed at Xreize sword finishing her question.

"I was a knight, more accurately I was a strategist for the Xezen Knights." Xreize scratched his head as he explained

Tsukari's expression darkened after hearing his answer but kept silent as she stood a few steps back from them.

"But you practice swordplay, I can tell because you have good reflexes." Miakis tapped Xreize's shoulder a few times

"You could say that, right now I'm just a wandering sword for hire looking ways to keep my fill for the day" The swordsman shared

"Wait…Don't tell me…the reason you saved me back then was…." Lym finally got the reason for Xreize's charitable actions

"Yeah, about that, since I saved you and I also helped in saving a vital stronghold I was thinking that I clearly deserve some reward…I was right when I thought you were rich hahaha I hit the jackpot now" Xreize said while smiling.

Suddenly he can feel the cold steel below his chin; Miakis was behind him with a cold smile on her face "Do you want to know how cold the Feitas River is? Sometimes greedy scumbag such as yourself happen to fall in"

"Uh…no thank you, I fell in once and it wasn't a very pleasant experience" the swordsman declined while sweating coldly.

"Grrr…so you saved just because of the reward in the end? It wasn't because you--!!" Lym with a red face; paused, she almost said something that would be embarrassing in more ways than one.

"Say that again? And Miakis please put that sharp blade away, you could hurt someone" The swordsman backed a few steps just to feel 3 pointed ends at his back he turned to see Tsukari pointing 3 throwing needles at his back, she adds a little more pressure to imbed them deeper.

"I know it is only right to reward you for your good deeds but to play the queen for a fool, a hundred deaths is not enough for your punishment" Tsukari said still holding the needles against Xreize.

"I thought of the reward sometime after saving you, your highness, as a knight I cannot leave a beautiful damsel in distress." Xreize gallantly said. The queen almost swoon at his words but kept her composure and replied "V-very well, at least you had the intentions to help me in the beginning, and you did save me so punishing you would not be well deserved. So---"The young queen was about to finish when the hall doors opened. A white giant cat like beast came roaring in surprising everyone. Right behind the creature came in a woman with blonde hair, she had pointed ears and carried a cross bow at her back. Her armor and clothes may look different but it had the same design as the other Queens Knights. Her emerald eyes shone brightly as she looked upon Lym. The blonde woman kneeled down before Lym with the white beast at her side.

"_Oh? It's rare to see Elves outside their own community"_ Xreize thought to himself.

"_Arwenamin_, I Elune, am here ready to fulfill your wishes."

"Elune! Why are you here? Weren't you suppose to be at Rainwall right now?" Lym asked, surprised to see her.

"I rode Hakugo at top speed just to get here, I got word that Sauronix was being attacked and rushed here as fast as I could to be able to participate in the skirmish." Elune explained still kneeling down.

"Ummm it's good to see you here Elune, but Sauronix has already been saved." Miakis informed a rather exhausted Elune.

"_Lle lakwenien?_ I was told that the enemy is vast in number, how did you vanquish them so fast?_" _Elune can't believe what she just heard.

"It's no joke; it's a good thing that Xreize was there to help." Miakis points Elune at Xreize's direction

Elune walked towards Xreize and circled around him once inspecting the swordsman. She steps back while her gaze still at him. "There is some bad wind about this man, he cannot be trusted." Elune exclaimed.

"I totally agree" All the others said in unison

"Hey now! Am I really that untrustworthy?" Xreize asked

"Yeah" Again everyone said in unison.

"Well, we still don't know you that well, and you may just be one of the enemies sent to infiltrate the palace." Miakis stated with a serious look on her face

"I can't blame you for suspecting me, but like I said I just came in from the Northern continent and was in Sable a few days ago, I'll show my passport so you can see the date I went in Sable." Xreize took out a red booklet, which was his passport. Miakis took a look to confirm what he just said. She quickly browsed through the pages and

"What he said is true. He can't possibly be any part of the attack in Sauronix since he just got in Falena during that time. Wait, how did you get to Sol Falena that fast when you were in Sable just that morning?" Miakis asked with suspicion against the swordsman.

"Remember that I told you that I once fell in the river? Just as I was getting off the boat, a weird furry creature collided with me and I fell at the port side of the boat, I tried to swim it out but the current was strong and I was swept away, when I woke up I was in Sol Falena pier, and just then I saw the queen being assaulted." Xreize explained

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded at the confession. "So saving the Queen from those men…was just a coincidence?" Roog asked "It seems like that" Toma answered. After a short silence Miakis started to snicker and then burst out laughing. "So Lym, your knight rescue was just because of some dumb luck, it really suits you" Miakis said while still laughing.

Tsukari gave out a small chuckle and tried to hold in her laughter. Elune stood there confused. Toma and Roog leaned against each other not to fall down from excessive laughing.

"Quit it! It's not funny!" Lym furiously said and tried to stop everyone from laughing. Xreize started to laugh and shortly after Lym also joined in. After a while the laughing subsided.

"We better send a messenger to Freya and Megami before they come rushing here like Elune." Tsukari suggested but just as Lym was about give the order, two women came in hurriedly.

One of them wore a heavy armor and carried a long spear. She had short red hair and gray eyes. Her steps were brisk as she walked towards the queen; she stopped in front of everyone and waited for the other woman, shortly behind her the second woman followed. She wore loose clothing, with only a breast plate her only armor. Her clothes resembles that of Tsukari suggesting they were from the same country. She had long chestnut hair and red eyes, she kept a gentle smile on her lips and carried a naginata, a variation of a spear with a curved blade at the end.

"We heard that Sauronix was attacked and rushed here to offer assistance!" The red haired woman said loudly as she bowed in front of the queen.

"Aiya…We were too late" Miakis crossed her arms and shook her head.

"What do you mean? Was Sauronix taken? We need to plan a counter attack to retake it then!" The red haired woman shouted

"No Freya, it's quite the opposite, Sauronix is already safe." Elune informed her

"NO KIDDING! You mean to say I wasted my time coming here?" Freya stomped her foot angrily

"I told you that we won't be needed but you still insisted that we come here" Megami lectured Freya.

"What was I suppose to do? It was boring in Lunas with only clerics to talk to; if I was just stationed at Storm fist I would have enjoyed using the arena." Freya complained

"I'd gladly switch places with you but knowing your rash nature I think it would be for the best I you stayed at Lunas. Megami calmly said.

"Awww come on!" Freya whined

"If I may ask who this gentleman here?" Megami motioned at Xreize.

"Ah, well you see…." Miakis explained to the two what happened so far, about the attempted kidnapping and the fight at Sauronix Castle. After sometime of explaining the Queens Knights think of what to do next.

"So Xreize here has done Falena a big favor, I sincerely thank you" Freya patted Xreize on the shoulder.

"By the way, I wanted to ask this earlier, you encountered the enemy we faced at Sauronix before right Xreize? Can you tell us who and where they came from?" Miakis asked

"Oh? I thought you'd be able to recognize them with the way they dressed. Besides Falena went to war with them years ago." Xreize started

"That Magician was a middle class priest from the Nagarist Order"

"What? Nagarist Order? They came from Nagarea? That's impossible! " Miakis was shocked with what Xreize just revealed

"Yeah, the land route that connects Nagarea and Falena has been destroyed by the great quake there's no way for Nagarea to be able to send troops from where they are." Roog explained

"Nagarea? Who are those guys?" Toma asked

"A country to the south west of Falena, they're vicious people that greatly wanted to expand their territory. Falena went to war against them when they wanted to invade Falena. But the main route connecting them to here was cut off so it's impossible for them to launch a massive attack" Miakis explained.

"There are other means…If you think about it; they must have found another way to invade other lands, I said this because we encountered them in the northern continent at the Grasslands." Xreize explained

"_It can't be that guy…but there is a possibility…if so…"_ Xreize silently thought to himself when a soldier came in to send a message.

"Your Highness, a missionary group from Nagarea was spotted near Gordius, the locals stopped them and confined them in the city. We await orders of what to do with them" Just then another soldier rushed in with bad news

"An army appeared inside Gordius! They came out of some weird hole that came out of nowhere"

Everyone was shocked to hear the news but the one most surprised was Xreize "_It can't be!"_ "We need to counter attack or else they will take over Gordius" The soldier waited for orders. Lym stood silently still shocked. Miakis tried to get Lym's attention and called out to her a few times and finally Lym snapped back into reality confused at first but was able to recollect her thoughts and

"We need to fight back or else we will loose Gordius to the enemy, if they are from Nagarea then I now declare that we are now at war with Nagarea. I will do everything in my power to protect my homeland no one will take the people's happiness ever again!" Lym said firmly "Now Queens Knights! Move out and make the enemy crawl back to where they came from!"

"_May our mercy be as deep as the Feitas and our strength as powerful as the Sun be revealed to the entire World!_" Lym shouted and all others repeated.

As everyone was about to move out Xreize called out to Miakis "It would be for the best if someone stayed behind with the queen" Miakis nodded "I know that's why I'm leaving Megami to stay behind and guard the queen." "That's good, and another thing, I would like to accompany you to battle once more." Xreize requested

"It would be for our advantage if you were to come." Miakis permitted.

"Thank you, now we better hurry."

_**To be continued….**_

_Notes:_

_Elune_: I got the name Elune from the Elf Goddess from the game War Craft. The phrases she said during the story were in Elven language, I found a site where they have translations. Thanks .

_Arwenamin : My Lady_

_Lle lakwenien? : Are you joking?_

Expect to see more Elven phrases from Elune in the next chapters.

_Rainwall_: As the home of the House of Barows and one of the largest towns in eastern Falena, Rainwall functions as not only a major hub of trade in Falena's population, but also a city of great political importance. Befitting its ruler's tastes, Rainwall is a city of great beauty, with waterfalls cascading from throughout it and a large, open, tiled main street decorated with statues of prominent Barows leaders. The city is quite wealthy, and its citizens are most ardently proud of their prosperity. Despite its relative proximity to New Armes, the city is not fortified.

_Lunas_ : The holy, mountainous land in northern Falena, Lunas is the most sacred place in Falena, due to the belief that the first Queen of Falena descended here, bringing with her the Sun Rune, and with it, life back into Falena. Visitors are not welcome within the holy land; they once were, but due to an influx of gold-panning con artists, a decision was made to disallow anyone but the royal entourage.

_Gordius _: The training camp where Dragon Cavalry trainees are made into Dragon Cavalry Knights. It is also the breeding grounds of the Dragon-Horses, who can only breed in this one spot in all the world. Should a dragon-horse lay her eggs in another location, they will lay dormant for all time; only in Gordius will the eggs hatch. Because of this, Gordius is the most important area for the Dragon Cavalry, and entrance is strictly monitored.

_Nagarea_ : Considered a violent theocracy, Nagarea as we know it was formed by the integration of a group of small nations in the south under the Nagarist Order around the year 330. However, the full details of this foundation remain unknown. Highly expansionist, ever since then Nagarea endeavoured to expand its borders into the Queendom of Falena.

_Nagarist Order_ : The religious order which spread across several small nations to the south of the Falena Queendom to form the violent theocracy, the Nagarea Theocracy.

The Nagarist Order believes in spreading its dogma, and thus its territorial borders, by force if necessary. The Nagarist Order has, in the past, declared Dragon Horses to be evil and wicked creatures in order to facilitate an invasion of the Sauronix region of what is now modern-day Falena.

Thoughts:

I decided to go on with the war starting off with everyone in Sol Falena unprepared. I would like to take the opportunity to show Xreize's leadership skills. But Xreize is still human and won't be able to figure out all the enemy's tactics. There will be a time where he is caught by surprise and be in a difficult situation. This chapter is basically introducing the other Queens Knights and revealing who their enemy is, Nagarea. There are still some parts where you are left on the dark, but I promise you that everything will be explained in due time.

Again thanks for reading this fic, you guys know who you are and the other guys who find enjoyment in reading this work, thanks. I may not update as frequently as I can but do expect an update sooner or later. See you in the next chapter.


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